Palestinian activist convicted of immigration fraud in Detroit

DETROIT (Reuters) – A Palestinian activist was found guilty yesterday of immigration fraud for failing to reveal to US authorities that she had been convicted and served time in Israel for a 1969 supermarket bombing that killed two people.

After a trial last week in a federal court in Detroit, Rasmieh Yousef Odeh, 67, was convicted of unlawful procurement of naturalization, court officials said.

Odeh, who also goes by the spelling Rasmea, faces 10 years in prison and would lose her US citizenship.

Judge Gershwin Drain revoked Odeh’s bail after finding she was a flight risk. She was led away in handcuffs by federal marshals as dozens of supporters yelled out to her.

Rasmieh Yousef Odeh
Rasmieh Yousef Odeh

“Make no mistake. Rasmea came under attack by the US government because she is Palestinian, and because for decades, she has organized for Palestinian liberation and self-determination,” the Rasmea Defense Committee, which has supported her during the trial, said in a statement yesterday.

The defence committee said it was unfair that Drain had not allowed Odeh to tell the jury that she confessed to the supermarket bombing allegedly under torture by the Israeli military.

Defence attorney Michael Deutsch said he hopes that testimony will be heard through the appeals process, and that he plans to ask the court to reconsider the bond revocation.

The Israel Law Center, which said it helped US prosecutors in the case, said Odeh received a fair trial and should receive the maximum sentence.